State Parks

St. Vrain State Park

May 2, 2018 by Monica Israels Leave a Comment

We stayed for a three-day weekend at St. Vrain State Park. A weekend spent camping is almost always better than a weekend at home, but we definitely didn’t pick good camping sites.

A satellite view of the park makes it seem like the sites right next to one of the biggest ponds would be the best ones, but they aren’t. People fish all over the ponds, and we ended up with people in front of our RVs pretty much the whole time, on the few feet of grass between our picnic tables and the water. It definitely wasn’t as relaxing as it could have been.

We went for a walk, as always, and discovered that the sites in the trees and away from the water were actually pretty nice. The sites next to water that was not easy to fish because of tall grasses were also nice. So, in this case, you should choose sites that aren’t exactly perfect unless you plan on fishing (and setting your chairs up next to the water the whole time you’re there).

Longmont was on the agenda, so we hit the St. Vrain Cidery and Longtucky Spirts for some local booze. It was a great day in town.

If we stay in St. Vrain State Park again, we’ll definitely camp in the trees. It’s very close to town and very easy to get to, which makes it ideal for quick weekends.

First of 2018: Jackson Lake State Park

March 25, 2018 by Monica Israels 2 Comments

We planned our first camping trip of 2018 six months ago, and it was finally here. There was always a chance we’d need to cancel because of snow but we got lucky. The roads were dry and there wasn’t any snow to be found on the plains for the entire trip, and then it snowed right after we were all safely home. My front door was about 15 feet from the lake, and Mike’s motor home and Walt’s trailer were next-door neighbors. Robin was staying with me for the weekend, too.

The first night was windy and raining, so we had dinner in Mike’s RV. Irish stew and soda bread, with cheesecake. Yes, this is glamping. Unfortunately, it was too windy and rainy for a campfire, so we all went back to our homes fairly early.

The next day was really windy, again, but at least it wasn’t raining. We drove out to see the only notable thing, the Pawnee Buttes. There was a hiking trail and the area was nice, but it was almost too windy to stand up. We hung out for a little while, but we didn’t even think about trying to wander around.

That night, the wind finally died down and we had dinner in my motor home. Grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and all of the good side dishes. Robin’s son came to see us, and we ended up with seven people eating in my motor home. It was cozy, but really fun. We even had a campfire. The wind was steady, so the smoke didn’t chase anyone. Friday was definitely the best night.

Saturday was pretty cool, and I set out to do RV walkthroughs with Mike and Walt. The plan is to get tours of people’s RVs and hear about what they like and don’t like about them. I tried to think of everything, but you can tell I’m pretty new to this. I have a lot of footage, but almost all of the audio is completely unusable. It’s so frustrating! I’ll have to do those walkthroughs another trip when there isn’t wind like that. I wasn’t even able to get the drone in the air — I was hoping to use the tripod mode.

We went to Fort Morgan to check out the cool Rainbow Arch Bridge there. It was built in the 1920s and it’s withstood a lot, and it still stands. It’s a footbridge now, and we walked from one side to the other and back again. It was nice doing some wandering around. We left Fort Morgan and went to Brush for chips and salsa at one of the worst Mexican restaurants we’d ever been to. Live and learn.

It was too windy for a fire again, so we had another dinner in my motor home. Walt made steaks and we ate until we were stuffed.

Everyone headed for home on Sunday. It was unbelievably windy, but it was still a fantastic weekend at the lake.

Site Review: Pelican Loop Site 95

This site is big enough for a 30-foot motor home, but you have to make some adjustments for slide outs so they don’t hit tree branches. The fire pit ended up too close to the coach to use. There was enough room at the front of the RV for my Jeep to park perpendicularly. A different or smaller RV would have an easier time.

The site is one of the best ones at Jackson Lake State Park because it is surrounded on two sides by water (one side has a little inlet) and one side by trees between it and the next site. It provides a private place to fish and enjoy the water, though the shore is very rocky and a bit steep. It wouldn’t be the easiest place to put a kayak in, but it would work if you wear shoes.

The electric worked well and the views were amazing.

Planning Ahead

November 23, 2017 by Monica Israels Leave a Comment

You may shake your head and laugh, but I’ve already booked camping for April and May of 2018. Why so far in advance? Because spring is only six months away.

A Year of Colorado State Parks

2018 will be my Year of Colorado State Parks. I’m going to get a State Parks Pass for the motor home, and I’m going to plan my Jeep trips around those camping weekends. How many can I stay at in one year? I’m looking forward to finding out. There are a lot of Colorado State Parks, so I am going to have a busy season.

The plan is to start the spring east or near I-25 at lower elevations. It’s still winter in the mountains until June, and I’m not going to buy chains for the motor home and drive in snowy conditions. Luckily, there are lots of places that meet those requirements. This spring, I’ll be camping at Jackson Lake State Park, St. Vrain State Park, Cherry Creek State Park, Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and Lake Pueblo State Park. Cheyenne Mountain is almost completely booked already!

But Why Now?

State and national park campgrounds are the first to fill up. There are many people who are just waiting for a date to pass so they can book six months in advance, which is the cutoff date for many campgrounds. If you want a good spot, you’ll need to be in that group of people with your fingers crossed. You still need to book a month or two in advance at the very least if you want a spot at all at some of the premiere spots.

I would recommend planning your summer now. The Guide to Colorado’s State Parks is a great resource, providing an overview of everything (you can pick up a hard copy at any state park office or request a brochure). All state parks do not offer overnight camping, and some of them have spots available for people without reservations.

If you change your mind and it’s more than 14 days before your reservation begins, you can cancel it. You will forfeit the $10 reservation fee, but that is a small price to pay in order to get a great spot. I’d recommend thinking about 2018 now while you still have options.

Boyd Lake State Park

October 30, 2017 by Monica Israels Leave a Comment

I bought my new motor home in Dallas on September 22nd, 2017, where I camped for a couple of nights Nyree, a friend who has moved there from Colorado. It was so nice to spend some time with her again. Then, I drove it to Amarillo to camp for a week and work. Then I brought it home. It was just as pretty as it was in the pictures. I named her Florence, the 2017 Fleetwood Flair 30P.

I had to take it camping, of course. I had a trip to Utah coming up in October, but it didn’t look like I’d be able to get the Jeep ready for towing in time (it was currently broken from the last trip, of course). I planned on driving the new RV to Moab without the Jeep and riding with a friend in his Jeep. Before that trip, I decided to camp at Boyd Lake State Park in Loveland, just an hour north of home.

October 7th, 2017

I drove Florence up to Loveland to get her set up, and then Karen drove up to hang out for the weekend. We cooked dinner and had a great time hanging out. The motor home has a queen-sized bed over the front seats in addition to my king-sized bed, and she stayed there. She said she was very comfortable. We walked around a little while, enjoying the sunshine and the views of the lake.

It was a good test of how the motor home would be during chillier nights, as it got down to 28 degrees. The propane heater worked perfectly. It was also the first time I didn’t have hookups other than electricity, and that worked fine.

Miriam showed up the next day and stayed that second night in the queen-sized bed. Karen was going to stay in her truck (she has it set up for camping) but it was too cold so she stayed in the motor home. She folded the couch down, about five feet in length. It wasn’t completely comfortable, but it was warm.

We played Mexican Train and had a great time dancing to disco outside under the stars.

October 27th, 2017

The Utah trip was great, though the Moab KOA wasn’t very exciting. It was a place to stay, and nothing more. If I had been in the popup trailer I would have been a bit unhappy, but the seclusion offered by the motor home made a huge difference. I was warm and happy.

And I decided to camp at Boyd Lake again. Site 58 is easily the best site (though there is a big handful of close seconds), and it was available. Site 57 next to it was also open, so I talked Mike into joining me (which wasn’t difficult). It was chilly, and wet snow gathered on the side of the motor home as I filled up the fresh water tank the first afternoon.

This was a great trip to Boyd Lake, too. We cooked and relaxed, and went for a walk along the lake. For lunch on the second day, we walked a few miles to a 3 Margaritas restaurant and had margaritas. We took a Lyft back, swinging by a gas station for firewood.

I knew I wouldn’t be camping again until the spring, and it was very depressing. It’s going to be a long winter.

Jumbo Campground

August 16, 2017 by Monica Israels Leave a Comment

Now this is the life! As we were pulling away at the end of a week on Grand Mesa, we already couldn’t wait to come back. The mesa is a huge expanse of trees and lakes above Grand Junction, and the scenery is so different and cool.

There are a lot of campgrounds, and the Jumbo Campground is the most developed. There were nice pit toilets (as nice as pit toilets can be), and everything was clean and perfect. We had a few different sites, and not all of them were perfect because of some rude neighbors. Still, it was a fantastic time.

We did almost all of the Jeep trails in the area, so it will be a few years before we see it again. We can’t wait for it!

Sylvan Lake State Park

September 13, 2016 by Monica Israels Leave a Comment

This is one of my favorite camping experiences so far. Sylvan Lake State Park is a few miles into the wilderness south of the town of Eagle, Colorado, featuring a gorgeous lake with mountains all around it. The campground is next to the lake, and my friends and I all found fantastic sites.

There is a path around the lake, and Matt and I walked around it one morning. It was awesome to see the sun coming up and warming the lake.

I spent one of the days kayaking around the lake after my friends headed for home. The water was ice cold, and it was so relaxing to sit in it, warm in the sun.

The wind blew pretty steadily in one direction, so I was able to paddle fiercely against the wind to cross it in one direction, and then gently paddle and drift back to the other side. I did it a few times, and it was great exercise half of the time. The other half was all about enjoying the scenery.